Time fuze test apparatus



April 9, 1968 c. A. DOCK 3,376,729.

' TIME FUZE TEST APPARATUS Filed Dec. 1, 1965 INVENTOR. CLEMENT A. DOCK ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,376,729 TIME FUZE TEST APPARATUS Clement A. Dock, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed Dec. 1, 1965, Ser. No. 511,290 4 Claims. (Cl. 73-5) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for testing time fuzes including the fuze to be tested attached to a parachute and inclosed inside a hollow artillery shell having a separate time fuze set to initiate a charge at a preselected time for ejecting the incapacitated fuze out of the shell.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to mechanical time fuze test apparatus.

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for use with mechanical time fuzes, which apparatus enables non-destructive in-flight testing of the fuzes.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus of the above type wherein a mechanical time fuze to be tested is safely returned to the earths surface upon completion of the prescribed test.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus of the above type wherein a parachute or the like is employed to fulfill the next previous object.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus of the above type wherein the fuze to be tested is released from a carrying vehicle at a time which can be set independently of the time set on the test fuze.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus of the above type wherein a mechanical .time fuze to be tested is safely incapacitated and incorporated into a hollow artillery shell having a separate time fuze set to initiate a charge at a preselected time for ejecting the incapacitated fuze out of the shell, which descending incapacitated fuze is decelerated by means of a parachute for safe landing on the earths surface.

Further objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the apparatus possessing the construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the single view of the drawing which is a view in elevation and partly in cross-section of the test apparatus embodying the present invention.

Referring to the drawing reference numeral 20 refers to a shell body which is hollow and normally contains an explosive charge of a suitable nature but which is here removed. The body 20 has open forward and rearward ends, and in this embodiment contains a mechanical time fuze 22 mated to its forward end and a removable plug 24 closing its rearward end. Shear pins 26 orthe like are employed to secure the plug 24 to the body 20. The shear pins 26 are selected to fracture upon being subjected to a given force. The significance of this will become apparent further on in the course of this description.

The mechanical time fuze 22 will be referred to hereinafter as the ejecting fuze 22 to distinguish it from the mechanical time fuze 28 to be tested. The fuze 28 will be referred to as the test fuze 28.

A hollow container or cannister 30 is readily incorporated within the body 20 and coaxial therewith. The cannister 30 is formed from a rigid material such as steel or the like. The cannister 30 contains a test fuze 28. The test fuze 28 is positioned in a test fixture 32 which is firmly fixed to the rearward end portion of walls of the cannister 30 by means of screws 34 'or the like, to form essentially an integral part of the cannister 30.

The test fixture 32 is adapted to seat the base portion of a test fuze 28 in fixed relationship thereto. Furthermore, the fixture 32 fixes a test fuze 28 in a coaxial orientation with respect to the shell body 20.

A cap 36 is fixed to the forward end portion of the cannister 30. The cap 36 may be screwed into or on the cannister 30, or mated to the cannister in any other suitable fashion so long as it may be readily removed to emplace or remove a test fuze 28 within the cannister 30. The cap 36 has a hollowed out portion adapted to receive the nose 'of atest fuze 28, thus aiding the-positioning of a fuze 28.

Positioned rearwardly of the cannister 30 is a hollow container 38 for receiving a parachute 40 suitably folded. The parachute 40 is physically connected by its cords 42 to the cannister 30. An adapter 44 is used as a securing medium between the cords 42 and the cannister 30. The adapter 44 is fixed to the walls of. the cannister 30 by the same screws 34 used to fix the test fixture to the cannister 30'. However, other methods may be applied to fix the adapter 44 to the cannister 30, or alternatively, the cords 42 of the parachute 40 may be secured directly to the cannister 30. The adapter 44 illustrated is constructed to provide assistance of orientation of a load upon atmospheric descent. This construction of the adapter 44 is not a part of the present invention, and therefore complete description of the adapter 44 will not be made.

The forward end of container 38 abuts the forward flange 46 of the adapter, while its rearward end abuts the inner or forward face of the plug 24. The rearward end of the container is enclosed by a removable plug 48.

Forwardly of the cannister 38 and within the shell body 20 is contained a charge of explosive 50 together with a suitable primer 51 which charge is operatively oriented with respect to the ejecting fuze 22. That is, the explosive 50 will be initiated by the ejecting fuze 22 after a preselected time is reached. The combination of the explosive 50 and the firing pin or initiating element (not shown) of the ejecting fuze 22 form a means for ejecting the cannister 30 and container 38 from the shell body 20. The type and amount of explosive 50 is approximately selected so that when the explosive 50 is initiated an explosion force results which is sufiicient to act on the cannister 30 and container 38 to cause the shear pins 26 to fracture and to eject the plug 24, and furthermore, the force must be sufficient to cause the cannister 30 and container 38 to be completely ejected from the shell body 20.

When both the cannister 30 and container 38 have been ejected from the shell body 20, the container 38 falls away from the parachute 40 which, in turn, becomes completely deployed. The cannister 38 containing a test fuze 28 is thus decelerated to a speed which is of such magnitude to enable the cannister 38 to safely descend to the earths surface, that is, without causing damage to a test fuze 28. An added advantage to this combination is that the location of a descended cannister 30 can be readily detected by merely seeking the parachute. Heretofore, a

test fuze descending to earth without aid of a parachute oftentimes would bury itself into the earths surface resulting in difficulty of detection and increase in the possibility of loss. Moreover, the test fuze was susceptible to damage as-aresult of the hard impact with the earth. Completely encapsulating a test fuze in combination with the parachute has thus nearly eliminated this susceptibility of impact damage. All of the aforesaid advantages act to provide in-flight testing of mechanical time fuzes which is both reliable and accurate, while avoiding the high costs of loss of parts and necessity of repeated testing consequential to any losses.

Since certain changes may be made in the above apparatus without departing from the scope of the invention herein involved, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A test apparatus for non-destructive in-fiight testing of mechanical time fuzes, including a hollow shell body having open forward and rearward ends, a removable plug for closing said body rearward end, a mechanical time ejecting fuze fixed to the forward end of said body,

a plurality of hollow containers in said body including a first hollow container,

a second hollow container oriented rearwardly of said first container,

a test fixture firmly fixed in the rearward end portion of said first container adapted to receive the aft end of a mechanical time test fuze,

a cap inthe forward end portion of said first container adapted to receive the nose portion of said test fuze and to position same in said container,

means in said body for providing a force for ejecting said container from said body,

a parachute in said second container fixed to said first container, and removable closure means in the rearward end portion of said second container.

2. An apparatus of the type described in claim 1 wherein said ejecting means includes an explosive charge operative with said first fuze, said charge adapted to be initiated upon the reaching of a preselected time setting on said first fuze, and further adapted to provide a force upon initiation sufficient in magnitude to eject said containers from said body.

3. An apparatus of the type described in claim 2 wherein said removable closure means is adapted to be removed in response to said ejecting means.

4. An apparatus of the type described in claim 3 wherein said container is provided with means for fixedly positioning a second mechanical time fuze to be tested coaxial with said body.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,330,425 2/1920 Bergman 1024 XR 2,834,293 5/1958 Beach et al 73167 XR 2,966,849 1/1961' Joiner 10281 XR 3,314,286 4/1967 Hickerson et al. 73167 LOUIS R. PRINCE, Primary Examiner.

N. B. SIEGEL, Assistant Examiner. 

